How To Make Sure Your Customers Still Trust Your Small Business

By Denise O'Berry
Posted Saturday, February 12, 2005

The stock market is still on a wild roller coaster ride. Trust in business is at an all time low. Do your customers still trust you? Here are seven ways to help you make sure.

1. Go the extra mile. Under promise and over deliver - a time worn concept that still works every time. Be there for your customers and show them how reliable you are. It's your actions that count, not your words.

2. Provide spectacular customer service - every time. Have a friend or colleague visit your business and provide feedback from a customer's perspective.

3. Make sure your front and back office work like a well-oiled machine. Do your front line employees and back office staff tell your customers the same thing?

4. Manage your customer relationships - return customers take the least amount of effort - use that to your advantage. Keep in touch often.

5. Communicate, communicate, communicate - with your employees and your customers. Nurture those relationships. Ask for feedback often.

6. Take responsibility. Don't pass the buck. If you can't personally handle a customer issue, make sure that you hand the customer off gracefully.

7. Meet commitments. Commitments guarantee that something will get done. They're also a way to manage the customer's expectations. Make commitments you can keep. A kept commitment builds trust. A missed commitment destroys trust. And once trust is broken, it takes much longer to rebuild.

About the Author
Denise O'Berry is a small business expert who helps small business owners take action to grow their business. Learn more about how to be a successful small business owner at (http://www.smallbiz-bootcamp.com)